EARTH AND THE GREENBELT (WORLD NOTES)

Changelog: v2.2 — Added season (June), ecology, isolation, house type, human perception, container crash, landmarks. Synced with Greenbelt Ecology and Normal Human Experience files.

EARTH IN ZAROVERSE

Earth is mostly like our real world:

• cities, streets, phones, cars, modern life

But there is a hidden place where nature feels deeper and quieter. That hidden place becomes Zaro's base.

THE GREENBELT

The forest area outside the city is called The Greenbelt. A normal name that people might use in real life. Not famous. Not magical at first. Simply a quiet green zone where people don't go often.

• Forest type: Mixed deciduous (oaks, maples, birch, wild cherry).
• Forest floor: ferns, moss, wildflowers.
• Creeks wind through the terrain.
• Old logging roads (unpaved, overgrown) serve as the only paths in.
• Faded "No Trespassing" signs — defunct private land.
• No cell service deep inside. No marked trails. No regular visitors.

THE SEASON — EARLY SUMMER (JUNE) — LOCKED

Book 1 takes place in early summer (June). School just ended. Duration: approximately 3 weeks (18-21 days). Season does not change.

What June in the Greenbelt looks like:

• Full green canopy at peak leaf density
• Wildflowers: black-eyed susans, daisies, clover, honeysuckle
• Creeks running clear but lower than spring snowmelt
• Long daylight: sunrise ~5:30am, sunset ~8:30pm
• Warm mornings, hot afternoons, cool evenings
• Fireflies at dusk (natural to deciduous forests in June)
• Birdsong constant, especially at dawn
• Smell of warm earth, cut grass, honeysuckle
• Occasional summer thunderstorms

Why early summer matters:

• Longest days = maximum sunlight for Zaro recovery
• Forest at peak fullness = dense cover, hidden world
• Summer vacation = Mina and Kai have all-day freedom
• Mina and Kai have natural freedom of movement June through September
• When Ink corrupts peak-green forest, contrast is devastating
• "First week of freedom" energy matches adventure tone

ZARO'S HOUSE

An old forester's cabin in the forest. One story, small porch, stone foundation, close to a creek. Structurally sound but weathered and forgotten. Zaro slowly restores it using his light: warms the wood, seals cracks, clears dust, makes it cozy and safe.

Inside: Zaro has drawings and plans on the wall — normal plans like a builder's notebook. Where he wants paths and gardens, swings and tree houses later. This proves Zaro is building a life, not just hiding from war.

The Treasures Shelf holds small personal objects he's found and restored.

THE DOME

Zaro creates a protective boundary around the home space. A light-based field that depends on his strength. When Zaro is strong: dome is strong. When Zaro is weak or sad: dome can flicker.

DOME FILTER RULE:

• Active Ink = blocked
• Normal debris = passes through
• Dormant/hibernating Ink = NOT filtered (Trojan path)

Human perception of the dome: Normal humans can faintly perceive it as a warm shimmer — like heat-haze on a summer road. Easy to dismiss. They cannot perceive the exact boundary, connection to Zaro, or any colored light.

HOW ZARO CHANGES THE GREENBELT

Zaro's presence subtly amplifies the forest:

• Wildflowers grow thicker near the dome
• Creek runs clearer
• Moss is greener
• Air feels warmer inside the dome's range

Not dramatic enough for a casual visitor to notice. Instruments can detect the gradient.

When the Ink arrives, this reverses:

• Affected areas lose color
• Wildflowers wilt and go gray
• Creek smells metallic and stale
• Birdsong stops. Animals go quiet.

THE CONTAINER CRASH

Zaro's container crashed in the Greenbelt.

• Visible as a bright streak at night
• Local news reported "suspected meteor"
• Forestry service investigated within 48 hours
• Found scorched patch, displaced earth, no metallic fragments
• Container had dissolved
• Classified as small meteorite, no significant impact
• Report filed, no follow-up

Why dismissed: small meteors are common, remote location, no damage or injuries, no conventional debris, Spark Dust looks like mineral deposits.

KEY LANDMARKS

1. THE HOUSE — Zaro's home base inside the dome
2. THE IMPACT CRATER — where container landed, where tree grows (just outside the dome's natural edge)
3. THE STONE RING CLEARING — where ARC-7 tears the Veil (1-2 minute run from house)
4. THE CREEK — runs through the Greenbelt, clearer near the dome
5. THE OLD LOGGING ROAD — unpaved, overgrown, Mina/Kai access route

THE PORTAL CLEARING

Near the house, a clearing with a ring of stones. Above the stones: a faint scar in the air (dormant).

When ARC-7 activates it:

• Air tears open
• Teal light explodes out
• Violent tunnel forms

The Veil tunnel is PERMANENT once torn. Like a pipe between worlds. Lid can be shut, rip never heals.

WHEN "THE GREENBELT" BECOMES "ZAROLAND"

ZaroLand is NOT used at the start. It becomes the name after the team has formed and built together: dome, house, training arena, gear, defenses. The forest isn't just Zaro's anymore. It's theirs.

The team coins the name: ZaroLand.

ZARO AND THE CITY

Zaro can visit the city to explore. But his true base is The Greenbelt. At the end of the day, he returns to the forest.